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WGTV
Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) is a state network of PBS member television stations and NPR member radio stations serving the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission, which holds the licenses for most of the PBS and NPR member stations licensed in the state. The broadcast signals of the nine television stations and 19 radio stations cover almost all of the state, as well as parts of Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The network's headquarters and primary radio and television production facilities are located on 14th Street in Midtown Atlanta, just west of the Downtown Connector in the Home Park neighborhood. History On May 23, 1960, the University of Georgia signed on WGTV, the second public television station in Georgia (after WETV, now WPBA). From 1960 to 1964, in a separate initiative, the Georgia Board of Education launched four educational television stations across the state, aimed at providing in-school instruction. In 1965, UGA and the Board of Education merged their efforts as Georgia Educational Television (GETV). The state network was renamed Georgia Public Television (GPTV) in 1970, one year after the state legislature transferred authority for the stations to the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission, the board that oversees GPB. The commission held the licenses for all of the network's stations except flagship WGTV, which remained licensed to UGA. However, in 1982, UGA sold WGTV's license to the GPTC. In 1984, the GPTC entered into public radio, launching stations in Macon and Columbus. These formed the nuclei of Peach State Public Radio, which was eventually renamed Georgia Public Radio in 2001. During the 1980s and 1990s, stations that had been operated by other educational institutions and community groups became affiliated with the network. In 1995, the GPTC began using "Georgia Public Broadcasting" as its corporate name. This would eventually become the umbrella title for all GPB operations in early 2004, when GPTV and Georgia Public Radio simultaneously rebranded under the Georgia Public Broadcasting name. GPB's 14th Street office/production facility in Midtown Atlanta (located north of the Georgia Institute of Technology and south of the city's Atlantic Station neighborhood) caused some controversy when, because of its inherently educational nature, GPB was allowed to use Georgia Lottery funds for construction of the mid-rise building. The studio facilities were used for the production of the first season of the CBS Television Distribution-syndicated program Swift Justice With Nancy Grace, via a subsidy by the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office, and received an on-screen credit at the end of each episode (production of that series was moved to Los Angeles for its second and final season). As of the summer of 2014, another syndicated court program, Lauren Lake's Paternity Court, now uses the GPB facilities under the same arrangement. GPB has experienced significant controversy within the past 20 years or so, including extravagant expenses in constructing the Midtown Atlanta studios mentioned above, accusations of political manipulation by the governor's office in the administration and affairs of the operation, cronyism in hiring a former state senator, Chip Rogers, to host a radio program (he later was terminated for devoting his work time to his private business affairs), and most recently, the network's arrangement to program most of the broadcast day of WRAS, the student-run radio station of Georgia State University in Atlanta (see below). These have been documented by the public broadcasting trade website Current.org. Stations Full Power Stations Logo History Coming soon Gallery Coming soon Category:PBS Member Stations Category:PBS Member Networks Category:Channel 8 Category:Channel 9 Category:Channel 28 Category:Channel 20 Category:Channel 14 Category:Channel 18 Category:Channel 25 Category:Channel 29 Category:1960 Category:Television channels and stations established in 1960 Category:Former NET Affiliates Category:Atlanta Category:Albany GA Category:Augusta/Aiken Category:Savannah Category:Chatsworth Category:Dawson Category:Americus Category:Cordele Category:Columbus GA Category:Waycross Category:Valdosta Category:Macon Category:Georgia Category:Georgia Public Broadcasting Category:VHF Category:UHF Category:PBS Georgia Category:Former NTA Film Network affiliates